Reviewed by: Matt Brace
Intro
The Mandarin Oriental, Munich sits in the very heart of the old town and is arguably the city’s most luxurious address. Expect impeccable service, fabulous food (including a great Japanese–Peruvian restaurant), a summer rooftop pool and views over the Bavarian rooftops to the distant Alps.
Overview
One of Europe’s great luxury hotels, full of style and opulence with lovely local Bavarian touches everywhere. It’s marvellous, whatever the weather: we stayed just before Christmas when it is super-cosy and festive but it’s equally enchanting in summer when guests can dine, swim and tan at the rooftop pool or cool off in their suite. Don’t forget to open your windows to hear the melodic peals of church bells ringing out across the city.
Location
Couldn’t be better. The hotel is just around the corner from central Marienplatz square and backs on to the magnificent bulk of the Hofbräuhaus am Platzl beer hall.
Look and feel
If you’re Mandarin Oriental fans you’ll recognise the scene: marble floors, luxurious carpets, immaculately uniformed staff, huge vases of fresh flowers, the delicate clink of silver cutlery on fine porcelain. You feel special just walking into the place. The lobby also has a gently curved sweeping staircase, down which we expected Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers to float at any moment, dressed to the nines. The guest room corridors are decorated with original artworks, while the roof has been creatively modelled for year-round use: there’s a lovely pool in summer and clear-sided, geodesic domes in winter for intimate fine dining with views over the sparkling lights of the city.
Service
Impeccable, of course… it’s a Mandarin Oriental! The front desk team members were genuinely welcoming, despite us showing up hours before the room was ready. They stored our bags and confirmed our reservation that evening at the hotel’s Matsuhisa restaurant (including our dietary requirements). We don’t want red carpets and fanfares at check-in; instead, we want politeness, efficiency and authenticity. The Mandarin Oriental, Munich delivered all these. Oh, and at Matsuhisa a few hours later, our waitress Manuela was simply the best: friendly, full of information on all dishes (including their histories) and a delight to get to know, if only briefly.
Related: Your Comprehensive Honeymoon Guide to Germany
Best room for two
We had a Mandarin Room(41sqm), which is really a suite, despite its name. It had a beautiful parquet floor and a king bed resting on a thick-pile rug. We tossed a coin to see who would luxuriate first on the green velvet armchair and ottoman. I lost and poured us each a beer (there were three different Munich beers in the mini-bar, each with its own specially made glass), delivering one to the newly crowned Bavarian princess installed serenely on the chair. On the walls were two photographic Alpine works by a local artist and a white, abstract wall sculpture exclusively produced for the hotel. My perch was a window seat from where I gazed over the rooftops to the twin, domed towers of the 15th Century Gothic Frauenkirche cathedral.
If money is no object, I would recommend couples go for a 125sqm Tower Suite (the hotel has about 10 different types of suite). It has two bedrooms, one of which you may not need, of course, but also a circular sitting room on a raised platform with curved windows and silk curtains. It’s fun. Or maybe look at a Junior Terrace Suite (56sqm) which has high ceilings, 19th century Biedermeier-style furniture, kimono dressing gowns and an outdoor terrace with a canopied beach chair.
Food and drink
We’re fans of Nikkei cuisine, a delectable blend of Japanese and Peruvian flavours, so to find a restaurant serving it in Munich was the icing on the cake. Cauliflower jalapenos, sashimi squid and edamame with spicy sea salt got us in the culinary mood, all suggested, explained and delivered by our amazing waitress Manuela (see Service section). After a pause she brought us Nobu-style sashimi tacos with salmon and tuna, and miso black cod on butter lettuce. The Nobu connection? This restaurant was launched by Nobu’s founder Nobuyuki Matsuhisa. To round off our meal perfectly, Manuela introduced us to a delicious Pina Pavlova, with pineapple chutney, coconut cream, coconut sorbet and Thai basil.
The place also offers an Omakase experience, where guests are treated to a chef’s selection of dishes – and at Saturday brunch there’s a live cooking counter.
If you’re in town in summer, the Matsuhisa delights continue up at the rooftop pool in the form of the Munich Sushi Club – the first of its type in Germany – where you can sample delicious sushi and sashimi poolside, sip chilled sake and gaze out to the Alps in the distance.
Sustainability
The hotel has removed 99% of single-use plastics, implemented advanced energy-saving technologies and LED lighting, and sources only responsibly sourced seafood and cage-free eggs. It also champions local food and drink producers and regional specialties.
Couples will love
Luxuriating at the exclusive, turquoise-tiled rooftop pool (summer only), dining under sheepskin rugs in geodesic domes on the roof (winter only), enjoying couples treatments at the Amour Fou Spa, sampling fabulous Nikkei cuisine at Matsuhisa and hearing the bells of Munich’s churches ringing out across the city.
Book via the hotel’s website https://www.mandarinoriental.com/en/munich/altstadt, call +49 89 290 980 or email momuc-reservations@mohg.com.
Matthew Brace
Matthew Brace is a British award-winning travel writer and hotel reviewer, and the author of five travel books including Hotel Heaven. A former foreign correspondent for The Independent, The Observer, The Times and other leading newspapers, he has covered everything from world news to luxury escapes. Also a published photographer, Matthew has spent the past two decades living and working across Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra and Abu Dhabi as a writer, editor and communications advisor. His work combines the authority of a seasoned journalist with a storyteller’s eye for the people and places that define a destination.
